Employers in Colorado added 4,200 nonfarm payroll jobs from April to May for a total of 2,234,300 jobs, according to the survey of establishments. Government added 900 payroll jobs and the private sector increased by 3,300.

The unemployment rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point to 8.7% based on household survey results. The labor force decreased by 100 to 2,692,200 and total employment increased 4,700. The increase in total employment and the slight decline in labor force caused the number of unemployed to decline by 4,800. The national unemployment rate increased from 9.0 to 9.1 percent over the same period.

Over the year, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased from 34.8 to 35.1 hours and average hourly earnings decreased from $23.97 to $23.88.